The Legend of a Thief: Ocarina of Time
Chapter 8
It was early day and, as far as I could tell, the sun was just barely coming up. The castle that took up my field of vision loomed in front of me menacingly. It didn't know that it would be receiving a visitor today. The thought made me smile. The anticipation of doing something like this before it happened was addicting. Maybe it was the reason I enjoyed it so much. I would just forget all of my problems.
I heard my fairy groan and I knew that meant, "Get on with it!" Unlike me, she didn't appreciate how exciting something like this could be. She preferred to do everything the "morally upright" way. To me, that was the boring way.
I knew it wasn't in my best interest to argue with her, so I made my way to the vines we had found two weeks ago. Thinking back to the first time I passed through this area, I thought that I should have noticed them then, but, for some odd reason, I hadn't. I put my hands on the vines, making sure they were still sturdy. I had done a lot of climbing on them the past few weeks and I wanted to make sure I hadn't loosened them. They seemed sturdy enough, so I began my climb. Unfortunately, I hadn't even made it halfway when I was interrupted by a voice I had begun to know all too well.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I turned around and found the very girl I didn't want to see at the moment. Malon. It wasn't that I didn't like her or anything, it's just that I didn't have the time to deal with her at the moment. I let go of the vines and allowed myself to fall. I hit the ground hard, but there was no sound to be heard when I touched down. Naturally, it took me forever to master that skill, but, at the time, I knew it would be good to learn, considering my chosen profession. Plus, Malon seemed to enjoy it.
She giggled as she saw me in my finished landing position, which even I had to admit, looked comical, but it was the only way I could pull off the trick. My legs were spread farther than they usually would be and my right hand was the ground, basically giving me a third leg. Originally, it was my left hand, but, due to recent circumstances, I figured it would be better to have my left hand free as much as possible. Just in case there was trouble.
"I don't think that matters. I can go where I want. You have to answer to your dad. I think the real question is, what are you doing here?"
She smirked at how I dodged the question, but answered me anyway.
"My dad is delivering milk over at the castle, but that was yesterday! I just came by to see if I could get him, but it looks like you're already going in. You are, aren't you?" I wasn't at all surprised she came to that conclusion, especially considering how we met.
Knowing that lying would get me nowhere, I decided to tell the truth. "I have to go see Princess Zelda. So, yeah, I'm going in." I paused a second and raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you want me to look for him?"
She gave a shy little smile before saying, "Yeah, if that isn't too much trouble."
I thought about if for a second before I declared, "Sure. I won't be specifically look for him, but if I happen to cross his path, I'll tell him to get to you. I can't really afford to go beyond the path I already have planned out. Sorry."
"That's fine. As long as you try, I understand."
I nodded, looked to my fairy, and then back to her. "I should probably get back to what I was doing. If I don't follow the plan then this chance will have been wasted. Talk to you later."
She returned my nod.
"See you tonight." I turned my back on her and went for the vines again. This time while I was climbing I couldn't help but think of Malon. I felt nothing but admiration for the way she met me.
Flashback
The door creaked open slowly and the lady-who-worked-at-the-hotel peaked into the room. Everything grew silent as she stared into the room, but I could tell by her breathing that she was scared or, at least, nervous. I could hear her slowly entering the room and inspecting it.
This situation wasn't working to my advantage at all. I hadn't anticipated her having an extra key or even checking so soon for all the keys to be accounted for. I was cocky and I didn't think properly. All signs pointed to me being an idiot. Darn.
The only reason I was even aware that I'd been caught was due to my ear's uncanny attention to detail. While I was sneaking back to my room, after using the bathroom, I happened to hear her freaking out downstairs. After assessing the situation, I rushed upstairs and did my best to make it look like it had before I entered the room. I was too late to get out though. She opened the door in the middle of my escape and, having to abort, I made the quick decision to hide under the bed, which is where I was now.
Judging by her footsteps, she was now in the middle of the room. Unfortunately, that blocked a clean shot to the balcony, which was my last hope for escape. I cursed mentally, for I knew I couldn't stay down there forever.
But, I thought, she can't stay up here forever either. Sooner or later, she'll have to leave and that will be when I'll take my leave. I relaxed a bit more, now that I had a relatively good plan. I could hear her getting closer to the bed and I began to get a little more nervous. She was now next to it and I could feel beads of sweat coming down my face. There was no way she would know to check down here, I reassured myself. I was staring right at her leg, waiting for any indication of what her next move would be.
Once I saw the slight bending movement in her leg, I made my own move. I had to be quick, but I was sure I could do it. I rolled out from under the bed as silently as I could and watched her bend over to check under the bed.
As soon as she was too low to see me I jumped up onto the bed and used the bed's springs to launch myself into a front flip over her. I landed perfectly and wasted no time in running for the balcony. Once I reached it, I looked over my shoulders while jumping. She had been so frightened that she had been unable to move. Turning around to see where I was falling, I smirked. I guess fear could be useful, as long as you were the one who put the fear into others.
I landed in a roll and continued to run. There was still a chance that she could awake from her trance and look down from the balcony. I needed to get out of the area. I turned a few corners and finally stopped running. A few people stared at me as I passed by and there might have been a few people who saw me jump from the balcony, but, besides that, it seemed that I made a clean getaway.
My fairy, who had been hiding on the ceiling of the hotel room, was finally catching up to me and I could here her shouting at me.
"Link! That was WAY too close! We are NOT doing that again!"
I waited until she was closer to respond. "I agree on the situation being way too close, but I still think we should keep doing what we're doing."
"Why in the world would you think that?! We almost got caught! Do you see the guards around here?! They aren't placed everywhere just for show!" I looked up into the sky and took in a deep breath. I knew my fairy had a point. This place was different and new to me. The Kokiri Village didn't have guards or anything like that. This place did. If I didn't adapt my thinking to my new environment then there would be no way for me to continue. I would face the consequences of my actions and that didn't sound appealing. These people seemed to have certain precautions that would defend from a thief and I needed to find a way past them.
A plan already formulating in my head, I responded, "Well then, where do you propose we sleep? I don't think sleeping on the streets is a good idea, judging by what happened to that girl that we saw last night."
My fairy took in a deep breath, obviously trying to calm down, before arguing, "Do you have a better idea? Besides anything that involves breaking laws?"
"Do you?" Knowing how I usually argued, she probably expected a question like this. That didn't mean she could figure out a way past it though.
"Fine. I'll hear what you have to say. Once you finish, I'll approve or disapprove."
I grinned. It was getting easier to convince my fairy to break the law with me.
"Thanks." Clearing my throat, I went on, "What I'm saying is that we should take this experience as more of a learning experience. I guess you could say, kind of experimental."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"That means that the next time we steal a hotel room, we'll be more prepared. I won't make the same mistakes I did before. Back there I made one huge mistake. I hadn't anticipated there being an extra key or her checking all the keys so soon. Next time, I will. You can count on that."
"Okay, I see what you're saying, but how are you going to nullify the problem?"
"Well, we'll just have to switch hotels every other day. The point of the new theft we're going to do is to get in and out before they even notice anything happened. We're going to go into a hotel and get a room."
"I'm assuming your doing that by stealing a key, right?" I thought about it for a second.
"Maybe. It depends on what kind of lock they have."
"What kind of lock? You can pick locks?"
I shrugged. Of course I could. What kind of thief did she think I was?
"Yeah, only if needed though. I don't really enjoy it. Kind of one of those things that I try to avoid."
"Hmm...okay. Continue."
"So, if we don't even steal a key we could probably even stay there until they get someone that needs the room and actually pays." I paused for emphasis. "If we do it like that, then there's no way we'll be caught." I looked up at the falling sun. "I need an answer now."
She followed my eyes to the sinking orb of light.
"Just so you know, I'm not taking this lightly. If there is even the slightest mishap, we are never doing this again!"
"Just so you know, I don't make the same mistakes twice."
She scoffed, making a motion that obviously showed disapproval. "Which hotel do you have in mind?"
I looked toward the east. "The east part of town seems to be...I don't really know how to put it. More profitable I guess."
"Is that the area you want to try?"
"On the map in the last hotel, it showed more expensive hotels on that part of town. I'm curious to see how those are like. So, yeah, I want to go there." Yesterday, we only explored the more western areas of town. We hadn't really had time to check the east part of town. My fairy approved my decision and we began to walk.
The east part of town was starting to make the west look like trash. Everything was gradually getting more clean and beautiful. It was strange, because back at the Kokiri village everything was the same no matter where you went. No side of it was better than the other. There were also more guards around here than the other, as if this side was worth more than the other. The people I passed were also dressed cleaner and they held their heads higher. What really irked me though, was how they looked at me. They looked at me as if I was inferior to them, as if I didn't even belong in their presence.
I was trying my best to control my anger, but their looks didn't help. Every new face I met carried the same look. I had to keep my head down now, even if I felt that made me look weak. It was better than looking at their faces.
The street was getting a little more busy and I now had to watch where I was going. Based on the map, I knew we were in this area's market. Everything was shinier and fancier, just how I'd come to expect. The hotel I was looking for was further down this street and I was beginning to see it in the distance.
Although we were close, I was beginning to feel nervous. For some reason I couldn't understand, I was doubting my own ability. I could see the entrance clearly now, but I wanted to practice before I entered. I decided to start out with a simple trick and purposefully bumped into a civilian, stealing their wallet.
"Excuse me." He just glared at me and then continued on his way. I didn't care that he looked at me in that way this time, because I stole something from him. I was laughing inwardly while I turned around to head back to the hotel. As soon as I turned around though, I heard a voice.
"You know, you shouldn't steal things." I looked to the side quickly and, to my surprise, it was just a girl around my age. Come to think of it, I was pretty sure I had seen her before. It was just a girl, so I didn't feel a need to lie to her about this. If she was going to report me, she probably would have done that immediately instead of contacting me.
"What's it to you? It's not like I stole from you."
She just smiled.
"It's nothing really, just some friendly advice." I looked her in the eyes, trying to discern her sincerity. As I looked, I couldn't help but notice how different they were. She didn't look at me with a haughty attitude like all the others. The only thing I could discern was how compassionate they were. I was about to say something to her, but my fairy interrupted me.
"What's she talking about, Link?" I cringed. This theft was supposed to remain hidden from her and now, thanks to this girl, my fairy had found out. Great.
"I, uh, pick-pocketed that man that we passed not too long ago." As I said this I couldn't help but wonder how this girl could have seen me do it. Even my fairy, who could read my emotions, wasn't aware of it. I looked her over. This girl had sharp eyes. Eyes that only another fellow thief had. At least, that was my theory.
"What in the world did you do that for, Link?! That kind of behavior is not acceptable!"
I rolled my eyes.
"I was just practicing, alright? It won't happen again." I heard her sigh and I knew this conversation wasn't over. Before she could respond, though, the girl spoke to me, much to my relief.
"So, what are you doing in this part of town? You don't look like a resident." I looked down at my clothes, to the girl, then to the rest of the people around me. My green tunic definitely stood out – a lot.
"Well, you're right. I'm not from around here." I needed to be careful about how I answered the question. If she knew I was planning on stealing a hotel room then she could turn me in. The best move in this situation was to tell only half the truth. "Since I'm not from around here, I need a place to stay. I was going to check out that hotel." I motioned towards it. She looked me up and down and just laughed.
"You're going to a hotel from around here, dressed like that?! I'll be surprised if they even let you in the doors! You'll have better luck in the west part of town!" I blushed. This was the second time my clothes got insulted by a girl. What's worse, now that I thought about it, she was a pretty cute girl.
"If you don't mind telling me, what's wrong with my clothes?!"
She calmed herself down to the point of not laughing anymore. "Well, first off, they're very dirty and peasant-like. Second of all, how come it looks like you're wearing a dress?"
"It's NOT a dress! It's a tunic!"
"Oh please. I could make my dress look like that if it was green, shorter, and had a belt wrapped around it's mid-section." I gritted my teeth. Cute girl or not, she was starting to piss me off. Obviously seeing this, she smirked and changed the subject. "So, since that hotel idea is a bust, what are you going to do now?"
Trying to calm myself down, I responded, "Well, I'm sure I can make it work. Don't worry about it." She tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowing.
"Don't even think about trying to break in and hide in one of their rooms. It'll fail, trust me." My eyes widened in surprise. How in the world could she have known that was what I was planning? As if she was reading my thoughts, she continued, "I know this because all thieves think alike. They aren't that hard to figure out."
"Well, what else can I do? It's not like staying on the streets is a good idea. Especially with those murders going on."
With no hesitancy, she said, "You could stay with me and my family." I was once again taken aback by what she said. She responded so quickly it was as if she already had that response planned out. I didn't even know her name! How could I even contemplate staying with someone I didn't even know? How could I even trust her? I was about to respond, but I was interrupted.
"Sure, if it's not too much trouble and your family would agree." I looked up at my fairy in amazement. What was she doing? We don't even know these people!
"Navi, what are you doing?"
She looked down at me, came really close, and whispered, "If we have the chance to stay somewhere without breaking the law, I'm taking it. We may not know these people, but if the daughter is so helpful, she must have gotten it from somewhere. Her parents might be just as nice. Don't be so distrustful. There are good people, Link."
I groaned. Sure, good people probably existed, but what made her so sure that we could count on these people to be among them? Although I disagreed with her, I knew I had no way to argue my way out of this one, so I reluctantly nodded my head.
The girl smiled widely and said, "That's great! It's been awhile since I've hung out with another kid my age! This will be fun!" She stuck her hand out at me. "Now, I'll properly introduce myself. I'm Malon. And you are?" I just looked at the hand. What was that supposed to mean? "Wow, you really aren't from around here, are you? When someone sticks their hand out, you're supposed to shake it. Stick your hand out and I'll show you."
Slowly I obeyed her and stuck my hand out. Once it was out, she grabbed it firmly and shook. It wasn't a hard shake, like I assumed it was going to be. It was more of a friendly shake. The whole concept Malon was introducing me to was weird – not as weird as a hug, but still very strange.
Now that we were shaking hands, Malon said, "Isn't this neat? Alright, next, tell me your name."
"Link."
"Good to meet you, Link." We stopped shaking hands and she now crossed her arms. "See, introductions aren't that difficult, Link."
"Sure, whatever you say."
She giggled, even though I said nothing amusing. "I like you. You're pretty funny."
Her words made me feel strange, so I decided to change the subject. "So, where do you live? I'd kind of like to get there now, if that's where we're going to be staying. You know, since it's dark already."
She looked down the street.
"Nice timing. My dad is coming down the street now. I'll have to ask his permission to let you stay with us, but he'll most likely say yes. He can't say no to me. Once I have permission, he'll take us to our relative's house."
"What do you mean by 'relative's house'? It isn't yours?"
She shook her head.
"Nah, my dad and I live outside of Castle Town, out in a place called Lon Lon Ranch. We have family over here though, so when we make deliveries we stay at their house instead of a hotel. It's cheaper that way and we also get to bond with our family." I nodded. So they were the family that owned Lon Lon Ranch. I had missed them because they were making a supposed "delivery", whatever that was. I winced. There were so many things about this culture that I didn't know and it was beginning to become a bit overwhelming.
"Hey, Malon, come over here and help your dad with these groceries!" We turned to see her dad hobbling over to us with three big bags of groceries. I wanted to explode with laughter, but not because of how comical he looked. It was because I recognized him. He was the man that I saw on my first day in this town. That day, I made my fairy seem like a fool, but my one assurance to her was that she would never meet that man again. Yet, here he was and it looked as if we might be staying with him. What were the chances?
Malon ran over and I decided to follow her. Once he saw me he questioned Malon.
"Who's he?"
"He's a friend. He's new to town and he needs a place to stay. Don't you think we should lend him a helping hand?"
He gave us a quick once-over, before saying, "Of course! I'm sure my brother-in-law would agree." He turned to me. "Name's Talon. I would shake your hand, but I'm a bit occupied at the moment. You are?"
"I'm Link." I was sort of relieved he couldn't shake my hand. One handshake was more than enough.
"Hey, I think I've met you before...somewhere." Just as he said that, my fairy reluctantly flew back to my side. She obviously didn't want to go through with this anymore. Talon's eyes brightened. "I know who you are now, Link. You're that kid with the fairy! How is she anyway?"
I grinned.
"You can ask her yourself," I said, enjoying every minute of this. "She's not that stupid."
I heard her mutter something insulting under her breath.
"Well, okay then." Looking at my fairy, he said, "How are ya, little lady?"
"I'M NOT STUPID! I PROMISE! EVERYTHING HE'S TOLD YOU IS A LIE! I'M THE SMART ONE! PLEASE, BELIEVE ME!" My fairy obviously didn't know how to take a joke. Her little outburst silenced Talon for a minute, but he soon broke out into laughter.
"Of course you're not! I'd never think that! I'm sorry for giving that impression."
I heard my fairy grumble again, probably feeling the shame of her outburst catching up to her. "I'm sorry I yelled. That isn't like me either."
"No harm was done to me, miss! Let's just forget this ever happened and start over!" Waving his hand, he continued, "I'm Talon, and you are?"
I could tell my fairy's mood was lightening a little, as she said, "I'm Navi. It's good to meet you."
"Same to you, Navi," Talon said with a wink.
I smiled. I was glad this wasn't taken too far. If my fairy had continued under these circumstances, she might have become an unbearable partner. Talon was looking at me now, probably sizing me up.
With a big grin, he said, "You look like a strong lad. Instead of Malon helping me, I think I'll make you useful and have you carry some of the bags. After all, you will be staying with us." He handed me two of the three bags, but then a thoughtful look came across his face. "You know, since you are staying with us, most likely for free, I think I'll make you carry everything. Just so you're not a complete burden." I was already over the edge with two bags, so I was skeptical of my ability to hold another one.
"Um...sir? I don't think-" It was too late. The third bag was already in my arms and I had to give it my all. If I dropped one of them, then that would definitely be bad, especially if I wanted to win their favor. Which I might. These people might turn out to be useful in my later exploits. Maybe as informants or as way to get supplies. It was definitely a good idea to have at least one ally in an unknown area. Of course, that would be harder to achieve if I dropped even one of these bags. Still achievable, but I didn't want to make it any harder.
As I was struggling with all three, Malon couldn't help but giggle at my face. It was turning red, because of the effort put in, and apparently that was hilarious. I didn't see how though.
Talon just patted me on the back, saying, "That's it, boy! Keep it up, we only have a few blocks till we reach the house." I gave a very strained nod and he just returned it, walking past me in the direction of his home. I slowly followed him with Malon moving to my side.
The walk to the house was painful, but not as painful as walking down the street with Malon glancing at me with pity. Of course, the pity may have been well placed. Those bags weighed a ton! What in the world could they have bought? The more I carried them, the heavier they seemed to get. Soon, beads of sweat were dripping down my forehead. Malon watched me with a concerned look on her face. Of course, I had no idea if the concern was for myself or the groceries.
Either way, she said, "You know, you could give one to me. I'm stronger than I look."
I gave her a glare.
"I'm fine. I've got this." Looking up into the sunless sky, she laughed.
"You remind me of my mom. My mom was always acting so rough, as if nothing could affect her. It was all an act though. Beneath it, she was really the most sensitive, empathetic, and compassionate person I've ever met." She paused for a second. "Is that how you're like, fairy boy?" After I didn't respond, she continued, "Well, I think you are. I don't buy into that front you're putting up. Maybe that comes from living with my mom. I can see the signs." She looked down at the floor, as if the memories brought her unwanted pain. "Maybe that's why my dad fell in love with her." With a smile on her face, she said, "He's not tough at all! Such a lazy guy! But, when it comes down to it, he really is the best!" She looked at me and snickered. "That's why he gave you those bags. It's not because he wants any payment from you for staying with us. He's just one of the laziest people you'll ever meet!"
I almost dropped a bag when she said that. Some of what she said sounded way too familiar. Thinking back to what my fairy said, I recognized a little of it.
"It cares for people, more than it cares to admit. With everything you kill you feel a sort of compassion for the victim, even if it's just microscopic. That part of you is everything the hero is supposed to be and right now the two sides are at conflict." My fairy had said that. I could remember it as clear as day. Now a random girl, that I just barely met, was telling me something similar. Did she already have me as analyzed as my fairy? The girl truly was remarkable.
Sensitivity, empathy, and compassion. When someone's goal was power, were those qualities a weakness? Do those qualities build up or tear down a warrior? If I really did possess those qualities, would it be wise to deaden them? To make sure I never felt them again? Would I still be a Kokiri if I did that? Were those really everything the hero was supposed to be?
Those questions and my change of focus numbed the strain my body was going through, so much so that I didn't even notice that we had already reached their house. Malon shook me into reality and I realized how big the house was. It was easily just as big as the hotel I had first stayed in. I was amazed and stupefied. Based on everything I had seen in Castle Town, everything around had to be bought by rupees. If something like that hotel room was priced at 75 rupees, then I wondered how much this nice house cost?
"This is your relative's house?"
Malon just looked up at it with a look of wonder. "Yep. It's pretty cool, isn't it?" I nodded my head exuberantly. Talon finally got the door open and led me in. Inside was the largest room I'd ever seen. It had a colorful rug in the middle of the floor and many hallways that led to other rooms. It even had two stairways on opposite sides of the room that led to the second floor.
"Come over here, Link. The dining room is this way." I kept walking and was soon in the room. The dining room had one long table in the middle of the room that could easily seat 20. There were plenty of cabinets along the walls and some counters as well. Talon directed me to place the groceries on the table. It was hard to lift them high enough to get on the table, but with one good push, I succeeded. Talon threw me an approving nod and yelled to Malon that he was going to turn in for the night. Malon yelled goodnight and then turned to me.
"You want to see what kind of room you'll get?"
"Sure."
End of Flashback
"Link, are you gonna make your move?" I awoke from my thoughts and looked at my fairy. "You've been staring at that guard for a few minutes now. If you don't make your move we'll miss our opening."
I nodded my head.
"Sorry. Let's do this." Although the task at hand had been reawakened to me, I didn't feel the same excitement I had before. My mind was still dwelling on the questions that had been brought back to my attention. As I jumped down onto the dirt path, I looked at the castle that held the mysterious princess Zelda. Something told me I'd find my answers in there. And, even if I didn't, I would keep looking.
I was going to find the answer!
